Locomotive flag-signal and case.



PATENTBD FEB. 4, 1908.

J. P., LYON.

LOGOMOTIVB FLA-G SIGNAL AND CASE.

APPLICATION FILED 1130.15. 1906.

2 SHEETS-$3113! 1.

I INVENTOH FAME s P. LY u n A TTORNEYS Inc.

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' r "I, W. M-Hdfl q. 2'1! No. 877,935 PATENTED FEB. 4, 1908.

J. P. LYON: V LOGOMOTIVE FLAG SIGNAL AND CASE.

APPLICATION FILED DEG. 15. 1906. 4

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W/TNESSES UVVENTOR 6% I tTAMES P. LYON BY ATTORNEYS 1 arms ca. WASHINGIDN. a. c.

-T0 all umrnn srA'rss PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES P. LYON, or OGDEN, UTAH, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF TO DANIEL n ROWLANDS, or OGDEN, UTAH.

LOCOMOTIVE FLAG-SIGNAL AND CASE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented, Feb. 4, 1908.

Application filed December 15. 1906. Serial No. 3&7824- ,0 may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES P. LYON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Ogden, in the county of \Veber and State of Utah, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Locomotive F lag-Signals and Cases, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the classification flag signals ordinarily carried by locomotives and it consists in a special construction of case designed to be carried upon the front part of the locomotive between the headight and Smokestack and a set of metallic flags carried thereby and arranged to be housed within the case or displayed on each side of the case as they may be required, the case and flags being especially designed and related to each other, all as hereafter fully described with reference to the drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side view of the front part of the locomotive bearing the signal case. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view through the flag case taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1, showing two of the flags displayed and the other two housed within the case. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the base of the flag case. Fig. 4. is a horizontal section through the flag case, the flags being removed, and Figs. 5, 5 and 5 are details of the flags, showing different forms of the same.

In the drawings Figs. 1 and 2, A represents I the flag case which is a rectangular sheet metal box, set up edge-wise upon the front end of the locomotive transversely to the boiler and between the head-light and the smoke-stack on the forward extension of the boiler shell. The upper sheet metal part.of the case has crimped guide ways a a-see Fig. 4-formed at the vertical corners to receive a vertically sliding door B on each side, whose edges slide in the guides and which doors are provided with handles b by which they may be raised or lowered to give access to the case, or to close it in, as seen in Fig. 2.

The base of the case is a heavy iron casting 0, shown in detail in Fig. 3, and of peculiar construction. It has undercut ends forming overhanging projections C O at the upper edge and basic flanges C C by which it is upper surface.

bolted or screwed to the locomotive boiler extension and has a central depression on its upper surface forming a trough-like 01 (h The overhanging extensions C of the base are formed on each side with two or more vertical slots 0 .0 extending out to the edge of the overhang and two or more shorter recesses c c that do not extend to the outer edge. In the slots 0 re disposed the staffs of the flags, which staffs e pivoted to the overhang at (1 so that the fiags may turn about these pivotal centers from the displayed position of the two exposed flags shown in F1gz 2 to the housed osition of the inclosed flags in the case. Vllhen the flags are exposed the lower ends of their stafls below the fulcrumstrike against the inclined edges of the cast iron base and thus, limiting the outward movement of the flags, sustain them at the proper angle of about from the horizontal. Any of the flags may be quickly turned to either position by simply raising the sliding doors and turning them in or out as may be desired. When'turned into the housed position the upper ends of the flags drop into the recesses c c which thus form seats to receive them, and when thus housed. hey are kept up out of contact with any a .ter or dirt m the case by the dished shape of the bottom of the case which thus forms a trap to catch any dirt or water that might get into the case.

The flags are made of sheet metal secured to a stafl and they may be either rigidly attached thereto by tacks or screws, as in Fig. 5, or they may be made in two parts'as in Fig. 5 the flag and staff D being connected together and the staff provided near its lower end with a laterally rojecting lug (1 while the butt end D Whic is pivoted to its base, is formed at its upper end with a socket and a bayonet slot d which socket receives the lower end of the flag stall while its lug d passes in its bayonet slot and is then turned so that the flag trails to the rear with the lug locked in the slot. This allows the color of the flags to be easily and quickly changed when desired. The. flags are preferably, however, hinged to their stafl's, as seen in Figs. 2 and 5 and have an elastic swinging connection to the staff by springs. There may be one of these springs on each side of the flag connecting the latter to the stafl and arranged at right angles to the stafi, as in Fig. 2, or there may be a single coil s ring wound around ths stafl about the mid le of the flag and connected to it, as seen in Fig. 5*.

Among the advantages of my flag signals I would state, that they are in harmony wi h the present standard of rules; the flags being of metal will not burn, warp around the staff, nor wear out; the place of location is more conspicuous than that of the present system and they are not obscured by escaping steam from the release valves and are out of the engineers way in looking down the track, and being thoroughly protected in the case are not liable to wear out, become dulled in color from the weather, or get lost.

I claim- 1. A locomotive having a boiler shell extension in front of the smoke stack, a fla signal case mounted on said extension in ront of the smoke stack, and flags ivoted in said case to be displayed above t e sides of the locomotive or be housed within the case.

2. A locomotive having a boiler shell extension in front of the smoke stack, a head light on the forward end of said extension, and a flag signal and supporting devices for the same mounted upon the to of the boiler shell extension betwc :11 the ead light and smoke stack and arianged to be displayed above the boiler.

3. A flag signal, consisting of a case having upon opposite sides movable door. and a base, fla s having their staffs pivoted to said base and arranged to be turned into or outside of the case, and stops for the lower ends of the fla staffs to limit the outward movement of t e same.

4. A flag signal, consisting of a case having vertical guides at each side and sliding doors arranged therein and flags pivoted to be turned through said doors into or outside of the case.

5. A flag signal, consisting of a case having opcposite doors and a base formed with a slotte and overhanging upper edge on each Sld6 and flags pivoted in said slots and turning into or out from the case.

6. A flag signalconsisting of a case having opposite doors and a base formed with a slotte andoverhanging upper edge on each side and a central depression and flags pivoted in said slots and having seats for supporting them above the bottom of the depression.

7. A locomotive signal, consisting of a case with o posite doors, a base, sockets pivoted to the Ease and formed with bayonet slots at the upper ends and flags each having a staff with a lateral lug adapted to enter the slot.

. 8. A locomotive signal, consisting of a case having opposite doors, sockets pivoted to the case below the doors and flags detachably connected to the sockets and ada ted to be turned into the case or be disp ayed outside the same.

JAMES P. LYON.

Witnesses THO. MALONEY,

BENJAMIN EGGINTON. 

